Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 3.680-3.740 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 3.590. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.1 billion-$1.1 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.1 billion. Novanta also updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 0.950-1.000 EPS.

Novanta Price Performance

NOVT stock opened at $167.98 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $153.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.42. Novanta has a 52-week low of $98.27 and a 52-week high of $176.38. The company has a market capitalization of $6.34 billion, a PE ratio of 106.07 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a quick ratio of 2.69, a current ratio of 3.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Novanta (NASDAQ:NOVT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The technology company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.06. Novanta had a net margin of 6.00% and a return on equity of 11.96%. The business had revenue of $265.81 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $262.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.76 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Novanta has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.680-3.740 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.950-1.000 EPS. Analysts predict that Novanta will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $180.00 target price on Novanta in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Novanta in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Novanta from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $180.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Novanta

In other news, CEO Matthijs Glastra sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.13, for a total transaction of $1,047,345.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 29,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,795,389.93. The trade was a 17.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Novanta

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Novanta by 78.9% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,231 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $537,000 after buying an additional 1,866 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Novanta by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 419,037 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $53,582,000 after buying an additional 6,533 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Novanta by 1,762.5% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 61,631 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $7,881,000 after acquiring an additional 58,322 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new position in Novanta in the second quarter valued at about $528,000. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of Novanta by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 18,042 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,397,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.35% of the company’s stock.

About Novanta

Novanta, Inc (NASDAQ: NOVT) is a global technology company that designs and manufactures precision components, subsystems and software used in advanced photonics and motion control applications. The company serves customers in the medical device and advanced industrial markets, supplying critical technologies for diagnostics and therapeutic systems, semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, and scientific instrumentation. Novanta’s product portfolio includes laser control modules, optics, beam delivery systems, high-precision motors, actuators, stages, and fluidics solutions designed to meet stringent accuracy and reliability requirements.

Novanta’s Photonics segment delivers laser and energy delivery components that enable minimally invasive surgical procedures and diagnostic imaging.